Moorland Association
@moorlandassoc.bsky.social
Moorland Association members are passionate in their care for 860,000 acres of heather moorland in England and Wales.
🐦 Natural England has listed the Red Grouse as a "bird of conservation concern" in new licences.
This confirms that legal predator control is vital for protecting our endemic wildlife. Science wins.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
This confirms that legal predator control is vital for protecting our endemic wildlife. Science wins.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
November 28, 2025 at 1:55 PM
🐦 Natural England has listed the Red Grouse as a "bird of conservation concern" in new licences.
This confirms that legal predator control is vital for protecting our endemic wildlife. Science wins.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
This confirms that legal predator control is vital for protecting our endemic wildlife. Science wins.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
🚨 UK wildfire strategy is "30 years behind"
A fragmented system and ignored local expertise are putting firefighters and habitats at risk. We need a National Strategy that integrates practical land management and fuel reduction, rather than crisis management.
Read more - Link is in comments 👇
A fragmented system and ignored local expertise are putting firefighters and habitats at risk. We need a National Strategy that integrates practical land management and fuel reduction, rather than crisis management.
Read more - Link is in comments 👇
November 28, 2025 at 7:41 AM
🚨 UK wildfire strategy is "30 years behind"
A fragmented system and ignored local expertise are putting firefighters and habitats at risk. We need a National Strategy that integrates practical land management and fuel reduction, rather than crisis management.
Read more - Link is in comments 👇
A fragmented system and ignored local expertise are putting firefighters and habitats at risk. We need a National Strategy that integrates practical land management and fuel reduction, rather than crisis management.
Read more - Link is in comments 👇
Some beautiful grey partridge out looking for some breakfast. Always a pleasure to see this species thriving on our moors.
🎞️ Video courtesy of North Pennines Moorland Group.
🎞️ Video courtesy of North Pennines Moorland Group.
November 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Some beautiful grey partridge out looking for some breakfast. Always a pleasure to see this species thriving on our moors.
🎞️ Video courtesy of North Pennines Moorland Group.
🎞️ Video courtesy of North Pennines Moorland Group.
The new Natural Resources Wales report delivers an urgent warning - allowing vegetation to overwhelm our uplands is driving species loss at an alarming rate.
The evidence is overwhelming. Integrated management creates diverse habitats that species need and provides refuge from predation.
The evidence is overwhelming. Integrated management creates diverse habitats that species need and provides refuge from predation.
November 27, 2025 at 11:16 AM
The new Natural Resources Wales report delivers an urgent warning - allowing vegetation to overwhelm our uplands is driving species loss at an alarming rate.
The evidence is overwhelming. Integrated management creates diverse habitats that species need and provides refuge from predation.
The evidence is overwhelming. Integrated management creates diverse habitats that species need and provides refuge from predation.
🌿 "Doing nothing" is failing nature. Natural Resources Wales reports that vegetation succession threatens 455 Welsh species.
While unmanaged Berwyn saw Curlew drop 79%, managed moors support 12% of the UK population.
Conservation requires active stewardship, not abandonment.
Link is in comments 👇
While unmanaged Berwyn saw Curlew drop 79%, managed moors support 12% of the UK population.
Conservation requires active stewardship, not abandonment.
Link is in comments 👇
November 27, 2025 at 7:31 AM
🌿 "Doing nothing" is failing nature. Natural Resources Wales reports that vegetation succession threatens 455 Welsh species.
While unmanaged Berwyn saw Curlew drop 79%, managed moors support 12% of the UK population.
Conservation requires active stewardship, not abandonment.
Link is in comments 👇
While unmanaged Berwyn saw Curlew drop 79%, managed moors support 12% of the UK population.
Conservation requires active stewardship, not abandonment.
Link is in comments 👇
📷 Courtesy of Nidderdale Moorland Group.
A chilly start to the week as the first fall of snow carpeted the higher areas of the dale.
A chilly start to the week as the first fall of snow carpeted the higher areas of the dale.
November 26, 2025 at 9:39 AM
📷 Courtesy of Nidderdale Moorland Group.
A chilly start to the week as the first fall of snow carpeted the higher areas of the dale.
A chilly start to the week as the first fall of snow carpeted the higher areas of the dale.
🔥 We’ve obtained internal Natural England guidance banning staff from tackling fires larger than 1m².
A 50cm flame limit prevents early intervention. While gamekeepers suppress these quickly, NE staff must wait for fire engines. In remote moors, delay = disaster.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
A 50cm flame limit prevents early intervention. While gamekeepers suppress these quickly, NE staff must wait for fire engines. In remote moors, delay = disaster.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
November 26, 2025 at 7:30 AM
🔥 We’ve obtained internal Natural England guidance banning staff from tackling fires larger than 1m².
A 50cm flame limit prevents early intervention. While gamekeepers suppress these quickly, NE staff must wait for fire engines. In remote moors, delay = disaster.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
A 50cm flame limit prevents early intervention. While gamekeepers suppress these quickly, NE staff must wait for fire engines. In remote moors, delay = disaster.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
🔥 The @fbunational.bsky.social is right: fire services are overstretched. But suppression is only half the fix.
Without managing the fuel accumulating in our uplands, we are fighting a losing battle. We need a strategy that supports firefighters AND land managers. Read more - link is in comments 👇
Without managing the fuel accumulating in our uplands, we are fighting a losing battle. We need a strategy that supports firefighters AND land managers. Read more - link is in comments 👇
November 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM
🔥 The @fbunational.bsky.social is right: fire services are overstretched. But suppression is only half the fix.
Without managing the fuel accumulating in our uplands, we are fighting a losing battle. We need a strategy that supports firefighters AND land managers. Read more - link is in comments 👇
Without managing the fuel accumulating in our uplands, we are fighting a losing battle. We need a strategy that supports firefighters AND land managers. Read more - link is in comments 👇
Dr. Andreas Heinemeier on the subject of controlled burning:
"It's not peatland burning, if anything, it actually prevents the peatland from burning. It burns the surface vegetation in a prescribed way to counteract the risk of a catastrophic wildfire."
"It's not peatland burning, if anything, it actually prevents the peatland from burning. It burns the surface vegetation in a prescribed way to counteract the risk of a catastrophic wildfire."
November 25, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Dr. Andreas Heinemeier on the subject of controlled burning:
"It's not peatland burning, if anything, it actually prevents the peatland from burning. It burns the surface vegetation in a prescribed way to counteract the risk of a catastrophic wildfire."
"It's not peatland burning, if anything, it actually prevents the peatland from burning. It burns the surface vegetation in a prescribed way to counteract the risk of a catastrophic wildfire."
🔬 Evidence over opinion. Dr. Andreas Heinemeyer’s research challenges the "do nothing" approach to peatlands.
Find out more - link is in comments 👇
Find out more - link is in comments 👇
November 25, 2025 at 7:32 AM
🔬 Evidence over opinion. Dr. Andreas Heinemeyer’s research challenges the "do nothing" approach to peatlands.
Find out more - link is in comments 👇
Find out more - link is in comments 👇
📷 Courtesy of Forest of Bowland Moorland Group.
November 24, 2025 at 11:21 AM
📷 Courtesy of Forest of Bowland Moorland Group.
🌿 New BTO study confirms active management is vital for Curlews.
GPS tracking in the Yorkshire Dales shows "near-stable" populations (0.62 fledglings/pair) thanks to predator control and keeper/farmer collaboration.
Strong evidence that working conservation delivers results.
Link is in comments 👇
GPS tracking in the Yorkshire Dales shows "near-stable" populations (0.62 fledglings/pair) thanks to predator control and keeper/farmer collaboration.
Strong evidence that working conservation delivers results.
Link is in comments 👇
November 24, 2025 at 7:30 AM
🌿 New BTO study confirms active management is vital for Curlews.
GPS tracking in the Yorkshire Dales shows "near-stable" populations (0.62 fledglings/pair) thanks to predator control and keeper/farmer collaboration.
Strong evidence that working conservation delivers results.
Link is in comments 👇
GPS tracking in the Yorkshire Dales shows "near-stable" populations (0.62 fledglings/pair) thanks to predator control and keeper/farmer collaboration.
Strong evidence that working conservation delivers results.
Link is in comments 👇
🔥 England’s moorlands face a critical choice.
Restrictions since 2021 have slashed controlled burning by 73%, driving fuel loads to dangerous levels. Scientists warn it’s now a matter of when, not if, a major moorland wildfire occurs.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
Restrictions since 2021 have slashed controlled burning by 73%, driving fuel loads to dangerous levels. Scientists warn it’s now a matter of when, not if, a major moorland wildfire occurs.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
November 21, 2025 at 2:22 PM
🔥 England’s moorlands face a critical choice.
Restrictions since 2021 have slashed controlled burning by 73%, driving fuel loads to dangerous levels. Scientists warn it’s now a matter of when, not if, a major moorland wildfire occurs.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
Restrictions since 2021 have slashed controlled burning by 73%, driving fuel loads to dangerous levels. Scientists warn it’s now a matter of when, not if, a major moorland wildfire occurs.
Read more - link is in comments 👇
Red grouse braving the current snowy condition.
📷 Courtesy of Northern Pennines Moorland Group.
📷 Courtesy of Northern Pennines Moorland Group.
November 21, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Red grouse braving the current snowy condition.
📷 Courtesy of Northern Pennines Moorland Group.
📷 Courtesy of Northern Pennines Moorland Group.
⚖️ We have submitted a Claim for Judicial Review against Defra regarding the 2025 Burning Regulations.
The new rules ignored key wildfire science and were introduced without proper consultation. Read our latest update. Link is in comments 👇
The new rules ignored key wildfire science and were introduced without proper consultation. Read our latest update. Link is in comments 👇
November 21, 2025 at 7:38 AM
⚖️ We have submitted a Claim for Judicial Review against Defra regarding the 2025 Burning Regulations.
The new rules ignored key wildfire science and were introduced without proper consultation. Read our latest update. Link is in comments 👇
The new rules ignored key wildfire science and were introduced without proper consultation. Read our latest update. Link is in comments 👇
🔥 Why Science Supports Controlled Burning: Our Response to the Doncaster Free Press
• Cool burns reduce fuel loads
• They protect peat
• They are backed by the G7, EU and US
• Managed burns cause <5% of UK wildfires
Read our full response - link is in replies 👇
• Cool burns reduce fuel loads
• They protect peat
• They are backed by the G7, EU and US
• Managed burns cause <5% of UK wildfires
Read our full response - link is in replies 👇
November 20, 2025 at 1:17 PM
🔥 Why Science Supports Controlled Burning: Our Response to the Doncaster Free Press
• Cool burns reduce fuel loads
• They protect peat
• They are backed by the G7, EU and US
• Managed burns cause <5% of UK wildfires
Read our full response - link is in replies 👇
• Cool burns reduce fuel loads
• They protect peat
• They are backed by the G7, EU and US
• Managed burns cause <5% of UK wildfires
Read our full response - link is in replies 👇
📧 This recently circulated internal Natural England email appears to caution staff against engaging substantively with external queries about wildfire risk and land-management techniques. Read more - link is in replies 👇
November 20, 2025 at 7:37 AM
📧 This recently circulated internal Natural England email appears to caution staff against engaging substantively with external queries about wildfire risk and land-management techniques. Read more - link is in replies 👇
📷 Courtesy of Peak District Moorland Group.
Snow has paused vegetation management on the high tops, but keepers & rural workers are still out doing their jobs. With roads closing and vehicles getting stuck, access is tough enough already. Please respect those working in our uplands.
Snow has paused vegetation management on the high tops, but keepers & rural workers are still out doing their jobs. With roads closing and vehicles getting stuck, access is tough enough already. Please respect those working in our uplands.
November 19, 2025 at 1:47 PM
📷 Courtesy of Peak District Moorland Group.
Snow has paused vegetation management on the high tops, but keepers & rural workers are still out doing their jobs. With roads closing and vehicles getting stuck, access is tough enough already. Please respect those working in our uplands.
Snow has paused vegetation management on the high tops, but keepers & rural workers are still out doing their jobs. With roads closing and vehicles getting stuck, access is tough enough already. Please respect those working in our uplands.
✍️ Why Science Supports Controlled Burning - Our Response to the Doncaster Free Press: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/why-sci...
November 19, 2025 at 11:08 AM
✍️ Why Science Supports Controlled Burning - Our Response to the Doncaster Free Press: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/why-sci...
🪶 Stewards of the Moors: 4 Proven Conservation Success Stories
These stories show what real stewardship looks like: practical work, long-term commitment and people who know the ground. Integrated management delivers for nature and communities.
Read more - link in replies 👇
These stories show what real stewardship looks like: practical work, long-term commitment and people who know the ground. Integrated management delivers for nature and communities.
Read more - link in replies 👇
November 19, 2025 at 7:44 AM
🪶 Stewards of the Moors: 4 Proven Conservation Success Stories
These stories show what real stewardship looks like: practical work, long-term commitment and people who know the ground. Integrated management delivers for nature and communities.
Read more - link in replies 👇
These stories show what real stewardship looks like: practical work, long-term commitment and people who know the ground. Integrated management delivers for nature and communities.
Read more - link in replies 👇
🗺️ This map compares the scale of this year's Langdale wildfire in the North York Moors (black line) with the area burnt during the Great Fire of London (blue line). Approximately 5,000 acres were burned at Langdale, costing around £50m.
November 18, 2025 at 9:56 AM
🗺️ This map compares the scale of this year's Langdale wildfire in the North York Moors (black line) with the area burnt during the Great Fire of London (blue line). Approximately 5,000 acres were burned at Langdale, costing around £50m.
🔥 Brazil’s Cerrado banned all controlled burning - and paid the price.
Wildfires doubled. Fuel loads soared. Now, with controlled burns restored, fire intensity has fallen 97%.
Practical land stewardship and traditional knowledge working together. Read more - link is in comments 👇
Wildfires doubled. Fuel loads soared. Now, with controlled burns restored, fire intensity has fallen 97%.
Practical land stewardship and traditional knowledge working together. Read more - link is in comments 👇
November 18, 2025 at 7:31 AM
🔥 Brazil’s Cerrado banned all controlled burning - and paid the price.
Wildfires doubled. Fuel loads soared. Now, with controlled burns restored, fire intensity has fallen 97%.
Practical land stewardship and traditional knowledge working together. Read more - link is in comments 👇
Wildfires doubled. Fuel loads soared. Now, with controlled burns restored, fire intensity has fallen 97%.
Practical land stewardship and traditional knowledge working together. Read more - link is in comments 👇
Most curlew move to the coast in cold weather - but this inland flock stays on managed moors and nearby pastures.
Curlew numbers have fallen sharply across the UK, yet some Yorkshire Dales estates hold 180–250 breeding pairs each.
Video courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group.
Curlew numbers have fallen sharply across the UK, yet some Yorkshire Dales estates hold 180–250 breeding pairs each.
Video courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group.
November 17, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Most curlew move to the coast in cold weather - but this inland flock stays on managed moors and nearby pastures.
Curlew numbers have fallen sharply across the UK, yet some Yorkshire Dales estates hold 180–250 breeding pairs each.
Video courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group.
Curlew numbers have fallen sharply across the UK, yet some Yorkshire Dales estates hold 180–250 breeding pairs each.
Video courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group.
🔥 The RSPB told the government not to learn from countries already hit hard by wildfires, claiming our landscapes are “too different”.
But fire physics don’t stop at the Channel. Evidence proves international lessons matter. Ignoring it risks repeating others’ mistakes.
Link is in replies 👇
But fire physics don’t stop at the Channel. Evidence proves international lessons matter. Ignoring it risks repeating others’ mistakes.
Link is in replies 👇
November 17, 2025 at 7:23 AM
🔥 The RSPB told the government not to learn from countries already hit hard by wildfires, claiming our landscapes are “too different”.
But fire physics don’t stop at the Channel. Evidence proves international lessons matter. Ignoring it risks repeating others’ mistakes.
Link is in replies 👇
But fire physics don’t stop at the Channel. Evidence proves international lessons matter. Ignoring it risks repeating others’ mistakes.
Link is in replies 👇
🎞️ Watch Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie MSP tell the Scottish Parliament that responsible controlled burning helps prevent and fight wildfire.
November 14, 2025 at 10:43 AM
🎞️ Watch Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie MSP tell the Scottish Parliament that responsible controlled burning helps prevent and fight wildfire.